Yoga and My Fertility Journey

I've briefly discussed several times in my blog about how yoga played a part in my fertility journey. Almost a year ago I joined classes at Yoga Den and Core Studio with my now dear friend Jaclyn Vanderhoof.  Originally I joined to help with my lower back pain issues but I soon realized these classes were far more helpful in my journey of faith to fertility.

Besides being able to become more flexible and gain more lower back strength I began to focus on my meditation, my prayers to God in a quiet place and gain focus on the important things in life. Through guided meditations and practices I was able allow my body to become more focused on what it needed without distractions, clouded thoughts or focusing on why we weren't pregnant yet.

I remember after the first few practices I didn't feel like I was doing anything right. My tree poses were looking like the Leaning Tower of Pisa and it was so hard for me to fully relax during savasana. My yoga practices needed to become intentional.  I heard Jaclyn always say, "Set your intentions for the class" but I realized I was never really setting intentions. I was focusing on the poses and how long my eyes could stay fixated on the small dot on the wall I created to focus. During my 6 am Vinyasa class I was focusing on making sure my chaturangas and my cobras were in form I had no intentions.

Then it hit me. I was losing focus not only in Yoga practice but along this journey. I was praying. I was seeking God. However, I was not getting into a quiet place to really hear everything He was saying to me. I began to refocus my energy and thoughts on being in tune with God and hearing His voice. Oh My When I did!!!!!!!!!!!!! Yoga tears! I could hear God speaking to me in each practice.

It was then I realized that I needed to meditate more and not just simply pray. It had to be an intentional incorporation of both in my life.  Some saints will say "Did she stop praying?" No I didn't stop praying, however I used my yoga time and other times to commune with God on another level.

Prayer, in its specific meaning, means to ask or beseech God for something or another. A slightly broader understanding would include any sort of "talking" with God. Most people who pray at all are most familiar with prayer. Table grace, bedtime prayers, crisis pleas, and so on all fall under this definition of the word. Certainly prayer is the best known form of communication with God.

The practice of meditation includes the intent concentration on an object worthy of consideration. Most often, in the church, this would be a particular passage of scripture. (Joshua 1.8 we read, "The book of law shall not depart from your mouth; you shall meditate on it day and night.")

I had never meditated before. I was simply thinking that I can go in and clear my mind and start posing. It doesn't happen that way. Meditation involves clearing your mind of all things that needed to be gone and making room for the thoughts that are suppose to stay there.

One day during our guided meditation I felt a peace that overcame me. I was so relaxed and so in a zone that no thoughts were there EXCEPT a spirit of gratitude. I remember crying and thinking how exceptional God was because He kept me and my husband through the entire process. I remember one day my husband telling me how peaceful I was after meditation and yoga. I kept thinking I found a way to "carry everything to God in prayer and meditation."

Yoga may or not be for you but after reading this post my prayer is that you find a way to commune with your higher power on a level.  Find your inner place you are able to retreat with Him or Her where there is no interference, no distractions and nothing hindering you from perfect peace and meditation.


"The light in me honors the light in you. Namaste!"



Resources: 
The Holy Bible

Yoga Den and Core Studio
8600 Dorchester Road, Suite 205
North Charleston, SC 29420
843- 207-YOGA

A Video of me telling my Yoga Instructor Sister/Friend I'm pregnant!

Jesus Did It!!!!

It was the second week in November. I had just gotten through FaceTiming my nephew and singing Happy Birthday to him and allowing him to show me all of his Clemson Tiger gear that his parents bought for his 4th Birthday. It was Empire night and I was relaxing with my feet up having a glass of wine and missing my husband. He left earlier that day for our District Convocation in Florence, SC.

During commercial break I received a text from a friend who was a Fertility Massage Therapist. She wanted to know if I was ready to start getting massages. I was ready but I reminded her that she wanted me to wait until my menstrual cycle arrived before I scheduled it. She asked me when it was supposed to arrive and I checked my menstrual app and it said it was suppose to arrive October 17. It was November 11. I shrugged my shoulders and told her that I was feeling weird so I'm sure my cycle would start any day. She texted back, "Take a pregnancy Test." I looked at the phone and I was certain she texted the wrong person. I told her that I couldn't go down that road again and I would instead wait. This answer must not have been good enough for her because she texted me again to say, "Take a pregnancy test!"

I decided that taking a pregnancy test wasn't a top priority on my list, especially when I needed to be packing to join my husband at convocation, shampooing my tresses, and preparing for work the next day all the while trying to watch Empire.  So I did what was important. Besides, I had taken over 50 pregnancy tests in the last 3 years and they all said NOT PREGNANT or showed one lonely line on the test strip.

I waited while I was conditioning my hair to humor myself and take a pregnancy test. I walked away and started packing and getting things ready for my departure. As I was blow drying my hair I looked down and noticed two lines on the test. I did a double take thinking I had taken an ovulation predictor test instead of a pregnancy test. I pulled out five more tests to make sure my eyes weren't playing tricks on me. Positive, Positive, Positive, Positive, Positive!  Okay this couldn't be right. I immediately called my friend Aubrey in the fertility support group to confirm that I was pregnant and to see if I needed to take a ClearBlue Easy Test (weird I know). Aubrey started screaming in the background and so did her husband Josh. I was laughing hysterically because of my nerves and also because I couldn't believe it. All of the "plans" I ever had of finding out I was pregnant and telling my husband we were pregnant went out of the window. I was so nervous and unsure of next steps that I just started crying and saying, "I'm pregnant! I'm really pregnant!"  Sweet Aubrey kept saying how happy she was and her husband in the background was telling me I needed to tell my husband right away just not via text.

Still in disbelief, I drove to CVS pharmacy and got a Clear Blue Easy test that revealed I was pregnant. I then I had to figure out how to tell my husband. I didn't have much time to think because he called. He was talking about my trip the next day and he was giving me advice to stay in Charleston versus taking the two hour ride on the road by myself. He talked about us having two cars at convocation and blah blah blah.. I remember saying, "No babes, it's okay. I'm still coming after work tomorrow."  He kept disagreeing and said that I needed to listen to him for once. I snapped back! "No! I need you to listen to me! I've been having a really great evening and you are really ruining this moment for me. I'm coming to Florence tomorrow because I have something important to tell you face to face! Jarrett, I'm pregnant!!!!!"  You could have heard a rat pee on cotton! Dead silence. He asked if I was sure and I assured him I was because I took nearly 10 tests before I called him. He was so happy! He changed his tone of voice. Told me to rest so I could see him the next day and to be careful on the road!!

As I went to bed that night I played an interlude by Gospel Singer Tasha Cobb recorded, Jesus Did It! When we first heard the song months before, we declared that this song would be our testimony.  In the song she prophetically spoke about how we were receiving  Denial, after denial, after denial and No, after No, after No! And that God was about to give us a Yes! She said Denial three times and No three times. I thought about November 17, 2014 when we got a No! I thought about April 17, 2015 when we got a No! I thought about September 25, 2015 when we got our NO and here it is on November 11, 2015 God gave us a YES!!! I couldn't wait to talk to my wonderful ObGyn to share my testimony and to email the other Reproductive Endocrinologists and tell them, "Jesus Did it!"

After doing a little calculations, I was already 6-8 weeks pregnant!  hmmmmm... It was definitely a Vacation Baby! God answered our prayers while on vacation SUDDENLY!!!!!

If you have been reading these posts in this blog, our testimony has been and continues to be, "JESUS DID IT!"


Song: Jesus Did It by Tasha Cobb